Specialist Trauma-Informed Holistic Assessment of Need
Our Specialist Trauma-Informed Holistic Assessment of Need is for children and young people whose presentation is complex and may not be fully understood through a single diagnostic lens.
This assessment is particularly helpful where there are overlapping questions about neurodivergence, developmental trauma, attachment disruption, emotional wellbeing, behaviour, sensory needs, learning profile, or co-occurring conditions. Rather than focusing only on whether a child meets criteria for one diagnosis, we aim to build a fuller understanding of the child’s needs, experiences, strengths and support requirements.
This reflects Aspire’s specialist expertise in complex presentations, where neurodiversity may combine with other challenges such as early disrupted attachments, developmental trauma, or more than one condition occurring together.
What is a Specialist Trauma-Informed Holistic Assessment of Need?
The process is tailored to the child and the questions being asked, but may include:
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An initial screening clinical interview
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Desktop review of previous clinical reports
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Clinical parent interview
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School or nursery liaison
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Direct assessment with the child or young person
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Consideration of neurodevelopmental, trauma-related, social, emotional and mental health factors
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Report and recommendations
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Feedback and next steps session
Where appropriate, this kind of assessment may draw on elements used across Aspire’s more detailed assessment pathways, depending on the child’s presentation and what information is needed in order to build a clear and useful formulation.
What are the benefits
of a Specialist Trauma-Informed Holistic Assessment of Need?
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Make sense of presentations that feel mixed, complex or difficult to untangle
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Identify what may be linked to neurodivergence and what may reflect trauma-based, social, emotional or mental health needs
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Provide a more complete picture of the child’s strengths and difficulties
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Support more joined-up understanding between home, school and other professionals
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Guide clearer, more appropriate next steps for support
Why families choose Aspire Therapy Services
We are a Consultant Clinical Psychology-led, neurodivergent-affirming team offering clarity, understanding and evidence-based recommendations. Our assessments are thorough, compassionate and robust, and are informed by decades of combined experience across CAMHS, the private sector and the third sector.
Families choose Aspire because we offer:
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A compassionate, psychology-led team
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Neurodivergent-led and neuro-affirming practice
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Clear answers without long waits
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Evidence-based assessments and interventions
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Strong partnerships with families and schools
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A focus on empowerment, clarity and practical solutions
Our aim is not simply to label. It is to provide a genuinely helpful explanatory framework that reflects the real complexity of children’s lives and helps the adults around them respond more effectively.
Specialist Trauma-Informed Holistic Assessment of Need Package price:
£1,800 - £2,500 + VAT
Costs for this assessment depend on the level of complexity, the questions being explored, and the elements required as part of the process. Some families choose to use DLA towards the cost. Some eligible adoptive, special guardianship and child arrangements order families may also be able to access funding through the Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF), subject to local authority or regional adoption agency approval.
Costs start at £1800 and we would add additional elements to the assessment only in discussion with the family, and with a clear question we are seeking to answer.
